About the Author - Lisa Irby

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Ah hah! So I've piqued your interest enough to make you click on this page, huh?

Great! Hope I don't disappoint. :)

My name is Lisa Irby and I am a full-time blogger, vlogger, podcaster and just recently became a Udemy instructor.

You can see how I earn money online here.

I'm not all that good at talking about myself, but I'll give it a shot.

I love gadgets/electronics, music, writing, traveling, and bowling. Yes, I said bowling and proudly carry a 180 league average. I even participate in tournaments across the U.S.

Hey, don't judge me! :-)

I would also describe myself has a social introvert. That means I have both qualities of extroversion and introversion depending on the day and people I'm around. ;-)

I have always had an incredible love for teaching but didn't realize how much until I started creating websites in the late 90's and teaching others what I knew.

This passion helped propel my success with 2 Create a Website and my hair site, Napturally Curly.

Don't Miss Any Tips!

By the way, if you want to keep up with all my latest tips and strategies on making money online, make sure you sign up for my email list so you can get my blog updates.

Don't worry. I won't bug you with too many emails.

The Deets on How I Started!

(You can actually hear the complete story on my first podcast.)

In January 1998, I was a college student looking to make a little extra money. I had no idea I was about to embark on a journey that would allow me to earn a full-time living some years later.

I stumbled upon an affiliate program (no longer exists) and earned a few thousand dollars in about nine months when some might say I should have been focusing on school. From there, I was hooked and knew I was on to something.

However, I wasn't sure what that something was or how long it would last.

Slowly but surely affiliate checks started coming in. My college buddies wondered what in the world I was up to!

Twenty dollars here. Fifteen dollars there. A few people joked that I was running some shady, online underground operation. Haters! :-)

Times were so different.

Back then people didn't make money from their computers unless they were programmers or web designers. I fit neither of those profiles, so it would appear the odds were stacked against me.

The Saga Continues

So from 1998 to 2002, I dabbled in various money-making ventures. Most of them entailed building mini-sites/doorway pages that promoted various products for an affiliate commission.

Back then, getting ranked in the popular search engines took no time at all so I capitalized on making quick money using SEO (search engine optimization) and affiliate marketing.

But once the engines got more strict and made it harder to get pages ranked, I quickly discovered that this method was not a good solution for long-term, stable income.

I was making very good part-time money, but nothing stable enough to quit my 9 to 5. Also, my earnings went up and down like a yo-yo from year to year. I went from making $20,000 in one year to $6,000 the next.

Yikes! Not exactly my idea of stable income!

My Big Break

Everything changed in 2002 when I created this website. It occurred to me that one way to build longevity online was to build a content hub that teaches people how to do something. Since I was self-taught on building websites, using web software and making money online, I decided to use this site as a platform for teaching.

So I went from creating anonymous, mini-sites to creating larger, content sites that people could reference and learn from. Suddenly, I was building my own brand through teaching and using my personality on YouTube to connect with my audience.

People began to compliment my help, sincerity and authenticity. I was building a following and people started buying what I recommended. How cool was that?

By 2004, the total earnings from this site (Google AdSense, affiliate income, etc.) matched my 9 to 5. And by 2006, this site was earning 4x's my salary. That's when I decided to leave the rat race and make this "Internet thing" my career.

At that time, most people had no idea what I was doing nor did they believe someone with no computer background could earn a living online. This was before the blogging era, so this whole process was very unfamiliar and misunderstood by many.

Nevertheless, this is how I earn a living today. I'm no designer or programmer, but I love to teach. And that's exactly what this site aims to do -- teach you what I've learned over the years.

Keep It Simple

One reason I believe people struggle online is they make things so complicated or they try to mimmick other successful sites without realizing WHY those sites are already successful (timing, funding, passion, etc.)

You don't have to be the next Amazon or Facebook to make money online. Not to mention, who would want to run a site that complex? I know I sure wouldn't.

The key is to build a website on a topic that allows you to help, educate or entertain your audience in YOUR unique way. Build your individual brand of YOU through your content, social media, YouTube, etc.

Then earn money through sales of your own products, affiliate marketing, AdSense, etc.

If you want a more detailed guide on how this works, check out my ebook, Niche Website Success. It's a very practical, realistic guide to making money online today.

And if you aren't quite sure how all this works, this book will make everything more clear to you.

You can also sign up with my course to learn if you prefer video.

Subscribe & Connect

This is my static site for tutorials on how to get started, but if you want to stay up to date with my latest ramblings and teachings, you should subscribe to my blog.

I usually post 2-4 times per month and sometimes feature guest posts from other bloggers.

I also publish YouTube videos quite regularly, so make sure you subscribe to my channel.

You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

My Google Plus Hangout / Interview

I rarely do interviews, but in early 2013, I sat down with Alice Fuller of Sheer Social and did my first live Google Hangout on Air. You can watch our chat below and gather more tips on how to be successful online.

If you want to learn how to make money online, you should enroll in my course here.

Passion is Super Important

If there's one thing I learned about this journey is you have to do something you are passionate about. A fan sent me this post he wrote after discovering he was going about this process the wrong way.

He made a common mistake that a lot of people make when deciding on a topic and I'm glad to see he's turning things around.

Thanks for Visiting!

I hope you found 2CreateAWebSite.com helpful.  Keep checking back as I continue to update it regularly with more information that will help you build a successful website.  The more I learn, the more I'll share with you.

Click here to contact me.

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